It Only Hurts If You Love Them Back
by ClaireBear1982
Summary: Gilderoy and Rita are in a relationship.


A/N: HPFC. Camp Potter Challenge. Fireworks Show (Romance)(Wk 2).

Mandatory Prompt Used: Gilderoy Lockheart/Rita Skeeter.

Optional Prompts Used: All.

* * *

"Gilderoy, come back to bed," called Rita Skeeter from her bedroom.

"In a moment, I've just had a fabulous idea and I want to write it down," Gilderoy hollered from Rita's lounge.

Rita hefted herself out of bed and slipped an acid green wrap around herself, and a pair of heeled black fluffy slippers on her feet, tucked a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear and tottered into the lounge to see what Gilderoy was up too.

She found him completely starker's sat in an armchair by the fire, leaning over a piece of parchment, furiously scribbling.

"Gilderoy darling, what are you doing?" asked Rita one eyebrow arched coyly at him.

"Oh you'll find out in due time my love," said Gilderoy evasively.

"Well in that case come back to bed."

She moved up behind him and ran her hands down his bare toned chest. He looked round and grinned at Rita.

"In a minute baby, let me just finish writing this idea down."

He flashed her his trademark winning smile and returned to what he was doing. Rita tried to read over his shoulder, but he kept his head in the way. When he was done he rolled and sealed the parchment.

"There done, now my fine lady lets get you back to bed," said Gilderoy tipping her a wink.

Rita grinned at him and took him by the hand and lead him back to bed.

In the morning when Rita awoke she found a note and a flat square box on Gilderoy's side of the bed.

Morning Rita,

Sorry to love and leave you, but I have some writing to do. I hope you like the gift I left for you. See you soon babe.

Gilderoy Lockheart,

Order of Merlin, Third Class. Honourary Member of the Dark Force Defence League; three times winner Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award.

Inside the flat box, nestled in a silk bed was a magnificent pearl necklace. Rita gasped with joy.

"Oh Gilderoy! You blood marvel," swooned Rita.

She slipped the pearls from their silken bed and put them around her neck and made for her dressing table mirror to inspect how they looked on her. She rubbed the pearls with her thumb and fingers, she loved the feeling of them against her skin.

Gilderoy meanwhile was in Australia. He was tracking down the man who had finally rid Wagga Wagga of a Werewolf. He contrived to find out exactly how the man had done it and then place a memory charm on the bloke. That was the one thing Gilderoy was brilliant at, memory charms. It was about the only thing he was good at. During his time at school, everyone wondered how the hell Gilderoy had been sorted into Ravenclaw, when he just wasn't smart enough!

Two days later and he was back in Rita's bed. He was giving her a full run down of what he had done (Or not done!).

"... So I finally caught up with the Werewolf, I pounced on and slammed him to the ground. I only used one hand too," said Gilderoy proudly. "With my free hand I pinned the beast down, and put my wand at his throat and performed the very complicated Homorphus Charm, he gave a rather piteous moan as I did so, and slowly the fur and the fangs started to vanish and he turned back into a man."

Rita appeared to be sat listening rapturously, when in truth she didn't believe a word of it. She was going to find out the truth one way or the other.

Gilderoy was sat filing in a journal entry. He was writing about his exploits with Rita. A certain sentence jumping out at him as he re-read what he had written.

"I wasn't actually in love, but I felt a sort of tender curiosity."

Rita had ended things. She had found out that he had indeed been lying about his exploits and that he was taking credit for other people's work. She'd been so furious with him, which was ironic when she couldn't report the truth if it was dancing naked in front of her. She, herself, had been in love with Gilderoy for quite sometime, she may not have necessarily have believed everything he'd said he'd done, but she had tried. The journalist in her made her always seek the truth, even if she didn't actually report it that way. So in the end she'd dumped him.

There was a rather violent thunderstorm raging, the lightning flashing brightly and occasionally making Rita jump. It was times like this when the weather was bad she wished she had someone to snuggle with. This was the point when she really started to miss Gilderoy badly. She tried to take her mind off of Gilderoy by working on the file she'd bought home about Dumbledore.

Gilderoy at this present time was sat in a lonely corner of The Leaky Cauldron drinking a flagon of Mead. Every time the thunder rolled, Gilderoy jumped so badly he'd slop a little Mead down his cherished lilac robes. He was feeling jumpy due to the fact he'd been chasing down a warlock that had dealt with a Vampire and turned his fangs into a Muggle sweet called Marshmallows. The assembly of Vampires had burst in on them as Gilderoy was finishing with the young warlock and sealing the Memory Charm. They'd tried to chase Gilderoy, but he was able to Apparate away before they could catch him.

He was a little worried about going home, just in case they were lying in wait for him (Paranoid much?). Gilderoy so desperately wanted someone to be with tonight, he didn't want to be alone. The only person he could think of that would even be awake at this time of night would be Rita. Would she accept him? He could only hope so. He drained his flagon and left the empty pub and Apparated away to Rita's place.

The reception he received was less than hospitable to start with, but soon Rita caved and allowed him in. He of course bedded her that night, and was again gone in the daylight. Thus infuriating Rita, no end.

But it didn't matter what she did she just couldn't stop loving him, sometimes she would Apparate to his street (She didn't live far away from him) just to see if he was home and if he had other company. Sometimes she would slink into the shadows and transform into her illegal Animagi form and just sit onhis window and watch him. Then she would forlornly take the long way home, as she just didn't have the heart to Apparate.

This would always be a relationship of convenience for them both.


End file.
